15-Minute Foam Roller Routine

Hi everyone! Welcome to my first ever fitness routine on ellysdiary.com. Today we are going to learn how to use the Foam Roller as a massage tool to give relief to our sore muscles when we can’t get around a deep tissue massage. This 15-minute routine addresses the whole body with a special focus on postural muscles and legs.

Foam Rolling is also known as ‘self-myofascial release’, a fancy term to indicate self-massage to release muscle tightness and to tackle trigger points. Get ready to melt away stress, decrease inflammation and lengthen your body with the routine below. If you’ve never used a foam roller, trust me, you’re in for a treat!

Make sure you carefully read the step-by-step guide for all of the exercises below.

Exercise 1: Child’s pose roll up

START in child’s pose with your arms extended over the Foam Roller (A). See if you can bring your forehead to the ground. Gently inhale to slowly roll yourself up to an upright kneeling position (B). Exhale to softly roll all the way down back into child’s pose. Complete 10 repetitions.

Exercise 2: Cat-Cow

GET in a tabletop position with your hands on top the Foam Roller. Stack your hands underneath your shoulders and your knees underneath your hips. Inhale to lift your heart and drop your belly down to get into cow pose (A). Exhale to gently curve your back into a juicy cat pose (B). Complete 10 repetitions.

Exercise 3: Kneeling Twist

START in a neutral tabletop position, with your hands on top of the Foam Roller. Slide your right arm underneath the left, sending your right shoulder all the way down into a twist (A). Breathe deeply and hold the position for 30 seconds. Come back to a neutral tabletop position, then repeat the twist on the left side (B).

Exercise 4: Quads Massage

GET into an elbow plank position placing the Foam Roller just above your kneecaps. Release the weight of your quads into it. Shift your weight slightly to the right and turn out your left leg (A). Slowly roll down over the Foam Roller gently massaging your thighs (B). Stop before you reach your hips, and roll back up (A). Complete 15 repetitions, then repeat on the left side.

Exercise 5: IT Band Massage

GET on your side with your left IT band pressed onto the Foam Roller. Your right leg will be crossed over the left, with your right foot planted in the ground. Engage your arms and your core muscles to push yourself upright (A). Slowly roll down over the Foam Roller to gently massage your IT band (B). Once you reach your hip level, roll back up (A). Make sure you’re completely avoiding the knee area. Complete 15 repetitions, then repeat on the right side.

Exercise 6: Glutes Massage

BEGIN by sitting on top of the Foam Roller. Cross your left leg over the right so that your left foot is on top of your right knee. Shift your weight slightly to the left, pressing your left hand into the ground for support (A). Slowly roll down over the Foam Roller gently massaging your glutes (B). Roll back up (A). Complete 15 repetitions, then repeat on the right side.

Exercise 7: Calves Massage

LIE down on your back with your elbows stacked underneath your shoulders. Place the Foam Roller underneath your left calf, keeping the right knee bent. Softly rock your left calf left (A) to right (B). If you find a kink in the muscle hold the position and breathe deeply into the tight spot for approximately 10 seconds. Then, go back to the rocking motion. Rock 20 times per side. Repeat the whole exercise on the right side.

Exercise 8: Chest opener 1

LIE down with your head and your entire spine on top the Foam Roller. Keep your feet planted for stability. Your knees will be hip width apart. Engage your core and bring your bent arms in front of you (A). Exhale to open your arms feeling your shoulder blades wrap around the foam roller (B). See if you can bring the arms all the way down to the ground. Inhale to bring the arms back up in front of you (A). Complete 20 repetitions.

Exercise 9: Chest opener 2

LIE down with your head and your entire spine on top the Foam Roller. Keep your feet planted for stability. Your knees will be hip width apart. Engage your core to lift your bent arms at the height of your shoulders (A). Inhale to stretch your arms all the way up and over your head making sure your lower back stays always in contact with the Foam Roller (B). Exhale to bend your arms back to your starting position (A). Complete 20 repetitions.

Exercise 10: Core stability

LIE down with your head and your entire spine on top the Foam Roller. Keep your feet planted for stability. Your knees will be hip width apart. Hands are down by your side pressing into the ground. Engage your core muscles to lift your legs at 90° (A). Exhale to lower your left toes to the ground (B). Make sure your lower back stays always in contact with the Foam Roller. Inhale to lift your leg back up (A). Alternate sides. Complete 30 repetitions.

You can pin the image below to your Pinterest Fitness board, to have the entire routine at your fingertips the next time you go to the gym!

Will you be giving this Foam Roller routine a try?

Please let me know in the comments below. I am curious to know all your thoughts on it!

I wish you a lovely rest of your day!

Bye for now!

Love,

Elly, XO

PS: If you liked this post, make sure you subscribe to ellysdiary.com for more fitness routines coming up soon!

Earlier due to some hick up I was unable to pin your post though I wanted to. I like the routine with the foam roller. I was unaware that so many exercises could be done with a simple foam roller. And you look good as a result

True! And I wouldn’t expect anyone to commit to it daily! 😉 🙂 But it’s a great post workout cool down! 🙂 Being a professional dancer for me it is a bit easier to be consistent as I anyway train/rehearse everyday, so for me it is an easy way to unwind <3. Thank you for stopping by!

Wow this is so comprehensive and helpful! I’ve heard so many amazing things about the benefits of foam rollers and have been wanting to get more into yoga…I will definitely be referring back to this once I get one 🙂